James Bryson was still drinking in lead-up to Willalooka crash that killed Victorian couple Dennis Frazer and Deborah Thomson
A woman says the deaths of her beloved father and stepmother in a horror country highway smash are an “immeasurable” loss – as a drunken, speeding young man is jailed.
Police & Courts
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It was a quiet drive through the countryside of the South-East, a couple heading home in Victoria after a family birthday – until tragedy struck, in the form of a speeding, drunk 22-year-old college graduate who drove through a give-way sign.
Victorian couple Dennis Frazer, 77, and Deborah Thomson, 65, were tragically killed on impact in the horrific smash at Willalooka, on November 18, 2023.
The beloved couple were heading home to Warrnambool – driving south along the Riddoch Highway – oblivious to a Toyota LandCruiser that sped through the give-way sign at 136km/h.
St Peters College old scholar James Paul Bryson, from nearby Padthaway, was behind the wheel, driving along the gravel Mcgrice Rd, nearly four times over the blood alcohol limit.
He was still drinking that morning and had photographed himself holding a beer while driving at 150km/h.
The clock had just ticked past 9.40am that Saturday morning. By 9.41am, Mr Frazer and Ms Thomson were dead – their Ford Territory hit with such force they could be identified only by their dental records.
An avid Geelong Cats supporter and highly respected design engineer, Mr Frazer was “a wonderful human being” – remembered as a loving husband, brother, father and grandfather.
Ms Thompson, meanwhile, had an “inspiring” love for her husband and stepchildren, and very quickly developed a reputation for her world-famous Anzac biscuits recipe.
In a victim impact statement read to the court earlier this month, Mr Frazer’s daughter Jane Carr said the pain of losing her father and stepmother was “immeasurable” … “like losing a part of my heart”.
“My dad was more than just a parent,” Ms Carr said. “He was a guide, a mentor and my source of strength. I find myself struggling to navigate a world without his presence.
“His laughter, his advice and his unwavering support were things I took for granted.
“When Deb joined our family we got to see how much she made Dad so happy – we couldn’t have been happier for him. She was a source of never-ending recipes, lolly snacks and the best Anzac biscuits that had ever been made. Her love for my dad was beautiful and inspiring, and together they created a life filled with happiness, laughter and a love for the Geelong Football Club.
“The pain of knowing I will never hear their voices again, or see their smiles, is something I will carry with me every day. The emotional pain is something I can hardly put into words, and the ripple effects have touched every aspect of my life.”
During sentencing in the District Court on Thursday, Auxiliary Judge Gordon Barrett told the court the night before the crash, Bryson attended a cricket function at the Lucindale Hotel before going to a friend’s house at Bool Lagoon. He was drinking alcohol at both locations, and continued to do so until just minutes before the eventual double fatal crash.
About 5am that fatal Saturday, Bryson and a friend were picked up from Bool Lagoon by one of his cousins and dropped off at his brother’s Padthaway address some time between 5.30am and 6am where he continued drinking.
About 7.30am, Bryson and a friend travelled to Willalooka to visit a “mutual friend” and, again, drank more alcohol upon his arrival.
At 9am, Bryson then made the decision to drive back to his brother’s house alone to “get some sleep”.
He began driving and turned east on to Mcgrice Rd and, at one stage, was travelling at 152km/h.
On Thursday, Judge Barrett noted in the “five-or-so” seconds before he reached the Riddoch Highway intersection, Bryson was travelling at 133km/h. But, 0.8 seconds before he collided with the driver’s side of the Ford carrying Mr Frazer and Ms Thomson, he increased his speed to 136km/h and “was thus accelerating towards the intersection, not braking” – ignorant of the give-way sign facing his direction.
The court heard Bryson had taken photos and videos depicting him speeding on numerous occasions the day before, and day of, the incident. At 7.07am on the morning of the crash, he photographed himself driving his LandCruiser on a country road at 150km/h while holding a can of Great Northern Beer.
Outside court earlier this month, Dennis’ brother Brian Frazer said his brother and sister-in-law “should not be remembered only as South Australia’s 2023 road-toll victims numbers 99 and 100” – the two fatalities prior to the horrific death of Police Commissioner Grant Stevens’ son Charlie at Schoolies last year.
Mr Frazer told the court he and his “beloved” older brother supported each other “for almost 70 years”.
“(He was) a light on the hill, and now I’ll have to live my remaining days without his light in my life,” Mr Frazer said. “I wish I could have said goodbye.”
Bryson, who pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated causing death by dangerous driving, was sentenced to eight years, one month and seven days imprisonment with a non-parole period of six years, five months and 24 days.
He was also disqualified from driving for 14 years upon his release from prison.
Judge Barrett accepted Bryson was “truly remorseful”, but acknowledged the lives of his victims and their families were “irrevocably changed”.
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